🌸The Promise 🌸[18+]

Chapter 33

"It's a boy." Xavier says proudly holding up this tiny wiggling infant.
"And he's perfect, Anne." He says while wrapping a clean towel around him.
The way he hold the baby so confidently makes my heart beat fast. He's even more attractive than I thought possible.

But he was in bed with Hannah.

Ignoring my thoughts I smile at Anne and congratulate her, and Xavier passes the tiny baby towards her.

I've never seen a newborn baby before and he is beautiful. His little wrinkled forehead and tiny button nose makes me smile. It seems impossible to think this sweet baby was inside Anne, not five minutes ago. Warmth generates from my chest and I can't help but laugh a happy laugh at this little miracle.
Anne kisses her baby boy and her happiness radiates out of her. She grins towards me and then to Xavier, who grins back.
It's such a peaceful magical moment. Mother meeting her baby for the first time.
Angeles walks over with excitement to take a look.
"What will you call him?" She asks as we all watch this precious creature asleep in his mother's arms.

"I'm going to call him Matthew, after my dear brother." Anne beams and I watch as Xavier stops between Anne's legs.
Xavier clears his throat and I can see a sadness in his eyes.
I can feel he wants to comment on the name choice but doesn't.
Be simply states without emotion that he's about to deliver the placenta and the do some stitches.

Anne doesn't reply too caught up looking at her baby. Her young face looks so happy and so in love.

After a while Xavier ask for Angeles to make up a bed in one of the cottages they use for patients who have to stay over night. I can see she doesn't want to move from her spot watching baby Mathew. But she leaves after smiling again at Anne and me.

Anne yelps at the pain of the stitches but Xavier is quick and skilled and before long he's finished.
Angeles comes back with a skip in her step to be told by Xavier to get some sanitary napkins for Anne. With a sigh she goes in search for the napkins.

"I best take you to the cottage now Anne." He states getting up. I can see his shirt is blood stained and the same for the towels by his feet. He pulls his gloves off and stands to his full height.
Anne nods and tries to get up but Xavier tells her not too and asks for her to pass Mathew to me as he gently scoops her up in his arms once more.

I hold the little bundle and see he's got some light dusting of dark brown hair.
I then look at Anne and see she's looking up at Xavier adoringly, her arms around his neck as he moves towards the door.

I stand routed on the spot and look to baby Mathew in my arms, thoughts explode in my mind.
The way he's been so caring towards her. The way she looks at him. The way she apologised and he asked why she never told him.
It all makes sense.
With a thud of my heart

I realise.

I'm holding Xavier's son.

I'm numb as devastation claws up from my chest and warms my face.
I look in front to Xavier carrying Anne like she's made out of porcelain.
He got her pregnant.
All I can hear is white noise as my heart hammers in my chest.
I swallow feeling sick and disgust swirls in my stomach. Anne can't be more than sixteen, she's still a child and Xavier is twenty nine. Nearly thirty. Nearly half her age.
He wouldn't, would he?
But I look down to Matthews soft brown hair and I have no doubt.
Anger courses through me, how could he do that?
How could he get a young girl pregnant.

*******
I'm sitting in the dining room helping Angeles clean up the mess from Matthews birth. But I'm completely numb and I drop my cloth a few times.
"Are you okay Nova? You look awfully pale." Angeles stops what she's doing and touches my forehead to check I haven't got a fever.

I manage a mumble to say I'm fine but I'm not really sure what I said to her. I know for a fact I'm not fine, I'm horrified and I'm sickened.

We turn to the sound of footsteps and Xavier walks into view.

"Angeles could you sit with Anne and baby Matthew while she nurses?" He asks. "I need to speak with Nova for a minute and then I will be back and you can get some sleep." He voice is monotone and tired.

"Of course! I will he happy too." Angeles says excitedly like a little ray of sunshine and almost runs to go see the baby again.

Once she's gone I turn my beady eyes onto Xavier.
He walks over and clears his throat.

"I'm sorry for what you saw.."

"Is that your baby?" I almost yell cutting him off mid sentence as anger bubbles inside of me.

"What?" He looks confused as he searches my face.

"Is Mathew your son? Did you get Anne pregnant?!" I yell this time and watch Xavier's face fall.

He closes his eyes and shakes his head in disbelief.
I try to control my breathing but it's all too much. I'm just so angry with him for doing that to a young girl.

"Is that what you really think of me?" Xavier's voice is deep and thick with emotion.

Yes.
No.
I don't know.

"Well you haven't got a good track record have you? Mabel and then Hannah who is probably still naked in your bed!" I scream.
"You never speak to other patients the way you spoke to Anne. I could see she adores you and you were so caring towards her, you asked her why she didn't tell you!" I say my voice breaking into a cry.

"Unbelievable! You really think I would sleep with a child? She's sixteen for fucks sake!" His anger matching mine. I've never heard him swear before and it shocks me.

"I don't know! I don't know anything! I didn't know your engaged, I didn't know about you and Hannah till Mabel spitted it out. I never know anything when it comes to you Xavier! You never tell me anything."

I'm crying now, full blown ugly sobs escape my mouth. Full of anger and full of sadness.

Xaiver takes a deep breath in and slowly breathes out pinching his nose in frustration.

"No Nova, Matthew is not my child. Nor have I ever had sex with Anne or any child for that matter. I know you like to believe the worst of me, but believe me when I say this. I do not sleep with women under eighteen even then I find women of that age immature and infuriating." He says looking me in the eyes to make sure I heard every word.

I shake my head looking away and wipe my eyes.
He's so cold. So hurtful.

I ignore what Xavier hinted about me. I will think about that later, but I need more answers.

"How do you know Anne then?"

Xavier wipes down his face with his hand and I can see his eyes have gone sad.

"Anne is the sister of my best friend. He died last year. He was travelling and caught scarlet fever and died.
Matthew and Anne were orphans and Matthew was all Anne had left. When he died she had to come out of boarding school even though I offered to pay the tuition. But her aunt didn't believe that women should be in school and sent for her, as her only surviving relative she had no choice but to comply."

His face is sad recalling the memory.

"The last I knew she was living with her Aunt. Then she turns up tonight in labour." He starts to clench his fists.

"Now she's working as a prostitute in the local taven or the whorehouse it's most commonly known and I have no idea why as she won't tell me! She's sixteen for fucks sake! And I've just delivered her baby! She has no clue who the father is either, of course she doesn't! Because working in a place like that, she has to fuck multiple men each day! Matthew would turn in his grave if he saw Anne now and its all my fault! I should have checked on her, I should have stopped her becoming a prostitute!" Before I know what's happening he's slamming his fist into the dining room table over and over again, I run over not thinking and pull his hand away holding this devastated man in my arms.